Kentucky basketball has been exposed for the second consecutive game.
The Wildcats, who have lost three of their past four games, don’t play very good defense and they are paying for it in the SEC, which has become one of the richest conferences in the country in coaching.
Although, their win during that stretch was at Tennessee.
Mark Pope, Kentucky’s first-year coach after replacing Arkansas’ John Calipari, seems to think his offense is his defense.
Ole Miss beat the Wildcats 98-84 on Tuesday night. That was 21 more points than the Rebels were averaging going into the game.
Last Saturday, Arkansas beat UK 89-79, which was 13 more points than the Razorbacks had been averaging.
Granted, it was the third consecutive game Kentucky was without point guard Lamont Butler, who averages four assists and 13.3 points per game.
Pope, like Calipari, assembled a team on the fly after being hired.
The two-game losing streak dropped the Wildcats from No. 10 in the NCAA NET rankings to No. 25.
They should have a chance to tweak things this Saturday when they host South Carolina.
. . .
In the buildup to Sunday’s Super Bowl, there has been a lot of talking heads claim that Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes is being protected by the officials.
He isn’t.
What he is doing is finding ways to make plays when a lot of quarterbacks would have thrown the ball away or been sacked.
Philadelphia’s starting quarterback does that, too.
It is way too soon to comparing Mahomes to Tom Brady, who is the Greatest Of All Time after winning seven Super Bowls.
Brady played in a total of 10 Super Bowls. Mahomes has won three and played in four. If the Chiefs make Joe Kleine a very happy fan, it would be the first time in Super Bowl history a team won three in a row.
Kentucky basketball has been exposed for the second consecutive game.
The Wildcats, who have lost three of their past four games, don’t play very good defense and they are paying for it in the SEC, which has become one of the richest conferences in the country in coaching.
Although, their win during that stretch was at Tennessee.
Mark Pope, Kentucky’s first-year coach after replacing Arkansas’ John Calipari, seems to think his offense is his defense.
Ole Miss beat the Wildcats 98-84 on Tuesday night. That was 21 more points than the Rebels were averaging going into the game.
Last Saturday, Arkansas beat UK 89-79, which was 13 more points than the Razorbacks had been averaging.
Granted, it was the third consecutive game Kentucky was without point guard Lamont Butler, who averages four assists and 13.3 points per game.
Pope, like Calipari, assembled a team on the fly after being hired.
The two-game losing streak dropped the Wildcats from No. 10 in the NCAA NET rankings to No. 25.
They should have a chance to tweak things this Saturday when they host South Carolina.
. . .
In the buildup to Sunday’s Super Bowl, there has been a lot of talking heads claim that Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes is being protected by the officials.
He isn’t.
What he is doing is finding ways to make plays when a lot of quarterbacks would have thrown the ball away or been sacked.
Philadelphia’s starting quarterback does that, too.
It is way too soon to comparing Mahomes to Tom Brady, who is the Greatest Of All Time after winning seven Super Bowls.
Brady played in a total of 10 Super Bowls. Mahomes has won three and played in four. If the Chiefs make Joe Kleine a very happy fan, it would be the first time in Super Bowl history a team won three in a row.
Foles was traded after Wentz returned and would later be a backup with the Kansas City Chiefs for a season.
Wentz has primarily been a backup for the past three seasons. But if called upon, he will be ready.
Anther part of the quarterbacking story is the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, who lost his job as Alabama’s quarterback to Tua Tagovailoa and transferred to Oklahoma.
Tagovailoa led Alabama to the national championship and is one of the highest rated passers in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins.
Hurts also won a natty at Alabama but at Oklahoma he worked on his passing and was the Eagles’ second pick in the second round in 2020.
It was thought he was drafted on his potential more than his passing skills. Always a threat with his legs, Hurts has worked hard and developed into a good passer.
His backup is Kenny Pickett, who was a first-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers but traded after they signed Russell Wilson.
Pickett has played in 30 NFL games, 25 as a starter. Wentz has played in 98, starting 94.
Hopefully it won’t come down to backups as two of the premier quarterbacks in the NFL square off. But both Hurts and Mahomes are dual threats, which means a higher chance of injury.
The only protection they will have Sunday is their skills and their teammates. Referees don’t decide Super Bowls.
